Abstract: Delirium and cognitive impairment are common in the intensive care units (ICU). The Confusion Assessment Method Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU), Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC), Cognitive Test for Delirium (CTD), Nursing Delirium Scale (Nu-DESC) and Delirium Rating Scale (DRS) are recommended to assess delirium. CAM-ICU and ICDSC are the best in the reliability, validity, sensitivity and specification. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Abbreviated Mental Status Examination (AMSE), the Johns Hopkins Adapted Cognitive Exam are used commonly for cognitive impairment, and Johns Hopkins Adapted Cognitive Exam is one of the suitable scales for ICU as it is simple, comprehensive, and with higher reliability and validity.

Key words: intensive care units, cognitive function, assessment, review